To Haruko's delight, after the game Sakuragi offered to walk her home. As they passed by the stores along the street where they were walking on, the assistant manageress gathered up her courage to turn to the redhead and say, "Sakuragi-kun, let me treat you to something to eat."
Sakuragi blushed, "What for?"
The brown-haired girl smiled, "I just feel like it. If you want a reason then how about because we won the match this afternoon?"
Sakuragi chuckled shyly, "Alright. Let's go then."
Haruko beamed and turned towards the nearest cafe, "Let's try this place. I heard the food here is good."
The redhead stopped in his tracks and stared at the doorway to the cafe where Haruko has chosen to eat. It was the same place he and Kogure used to go before they... broke up.
"Sakuragi-kun, what's wrong?" asked Haruko in puzzlement, her hand reaching over the grab the cafe's door handle.
"Ano... c-can we go to another place?" asked Sakuragi quietly.
Haruko stepped down from the cafe steps with a curious look, "Oh. Of course."
"Arigato."
"There's another place by the corner..."
"That's fine."
~~~~
Kogure sat on the swing, all alone in the park, trying to sort out his emotions. After having calmed his thoughts, he gazed up at the starry night sky and stood up to leave when he heard people talking at the other side of the fence separating the park and the road.
"...it's already late...."
"...let's go home..."
Kogure craned his neck to see around the bush growing on the fence and saw to his surprise that it was Sakuragi with Haruko, the girl a few feet walking behind the redhead.
~~~~
Haruko bit her lip as she stared at the redhead's back in front of her. The meal with Sakuragi was pleasant but she felt that the redhead wasn't there with her even if he was there sitting across her a hand's reach away. The boy was distracted and she knew why.
Sakuragi has always been a person full of energy, cheer and positivity but now as the redhead walked in front of her in cold silence, he was a different person altogether. Haruko could pinpoint exactly when the redhead changed which was when Matsui told her that Sakuragi has broken up with his 'girlfriend'.
"Sakuragi-kun..."
The redhead turned around and looked at Haruko as if he only realised she as there, "Hm?"
"Can't - Can't I be your source of inspiration?" asked Haruko softly.
"Nani?"
"Can't I be your source of inspiration?" she repeated slowly, dropping her head in embarassment when she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Her body went tense as she waited for the inevitable rejection. Suddenly she felt a hand gently touching her cheek and she looked up, feeling a glimmer of hope in her chest.
Sakuragi felt touched at the feelings Hauko held for him. She has been very attentive of him from the very beginning she met him and they were good friends from the start. He kind of guessed how she felt about him especially after she wore off her infatuation with Kaede but he did not know it ran this deep.
Sakuragi smiled at her warmly and bent his head down, "Haruko-chan..."
Kogure gasped and turned his head away feeling devastated. He backed away, shaking his head in denial, not aware that there was someone behind him until he bumped into the person.
"Hey! Watch out will ya!"
Sakuragi and Haruko jumped away from each other in startlement. The redhead turned his attention to the source of outburst and saw through the fencing three people, one of them bowing to the two others in apology. When the two strangers walked away, the third person was left behind and when he turned around, Sakuragi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah. Gomen, ne," Kogure came forward so that the two of them could see him clearly through the fence.
"Min-kun..."
Kogure clutched at the wire barrier in front of him, his body suddenly feeling weak, and gave the redhead a wavering smile, "Gomen..."
"Min-kun..."
Kogure took a step back but found that his hand was stuck, the friendship bracelet on his wrist snagged by a sharp point of the fence's rough edge.
"G-Gomen nasai, Hanamichi," he stammared before he finally freed himself and turned around to run away.
Sakuragi suddenly yelled, "Chotto! Min-kun!"
The spectacled-young man ignored the call and ran away to escape the pair before the redhead even had a chance to touch the fence seperating them. Sakuragi gripped the wire fence and peered through the darkness but there was not sign of the brown-haired young man.
"Why?" the redhead whispered clenching his fist tighter around the wire, making it bend in his hand.
"Why do you have to apologise, dammit?!" he shouted into the darkness. Feeling all the frustration welling inside him for the past few weeks burst out in an emotional tidal wave, Sakuragi continued to yell, not caring that Haruko was still standing behind him watching him in stunned silence.
"Why can't I stop caring about him?! Why?!"
Haruko lifted her fingers to her quivering lips and waited until the redhead quietened to only heavy breathing. After a while she quietly asked, "It seems that... I can't be your source of inspiration, ne, Sakuragi-kun?"
Sakuragi turned around and stared at her in a daze.
Haruko bowed her head down to hide the welling of tears in her eyes and told him quietly, "He...Kogure-sempai... was watching you play against Ryokufu this afternoon. I didn't want to tell you at first but seeing that I can't be your source of inspiration... I-I can't be..."
She bit her lip and turned away to take a deep breath to gain control over her shaking voice.
"Gomen, ne, Sakuragi-kun," she said before she walked away leaving the redhead alone.
Sakuragi stayed still staring at his hand which was still clutching the fence when he saw something hanging beside his arm between the mesh of wire. Tugging it off, he realised that the friendship bracelet in his hand was Kogure's when he remembered seeing the young man seeming to be stuck to the fence earlier on.
He held the bracelet tight in his grip and leaned his head against the fence.
"Have you lost your source of inspiration?" he remembered Anzai-sensei asking.
"It seems that... I can't be your source of inspiration, ne, Sakuragi-kun?" Haruko has asked him sadly.
And then he heard Kogure's gentle voice echoing in his mind. ...Hana-kun.... When Kogure smiled the world seem brighter and when Kogure cried, all Sakuragi wanted to do was to rush over and envelope the young man in his arms until the hurt went away. Kogure was important to him as the air he was breathing.
Kogure was everything.
What can I do to get you back? Sakuragi mourned, running his fingers over his messed hair raggedly. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry, Min-kun. I'm so sorry.
What can I do?
~~~~
The door burst open and closed shut with a bang. Mr. Kogure looked up from his newspaper to berate his son, "Kiminobu! Do you realise what time-"
He stopped and stared at his son in surprise. Although the young man was rushing past him in a hurry, Mr. Kogure was still able to see the glimmer of wetness on his son's pale face.
~~~~
When he reached his room, Kogure immedietly locked his door shut and leaned against it heavily.
Why can't I be strong? I promised myself that I would even laugh with him but I can't...
Slowly his body slid down to the floor and he began to cry silently. He already heard about the rumours on Sakuragi and Haruko but seeing them together with his own eyes made it real. And the more painful.
...Min-kun... he remembered at one time when the redhead called him fondly with that sweet grin on his lips.
He hugged his knees to his chest and wept.Hana-kun... come back to me...
Please come back to me.